Feral cats are NOT wildlife in need of support SAYS WASHINGTON DEPT.

http://www.palouseaudubon.org/FeralCats.pdf


Feral cats are NOT wildlife in need of support


(reprinted from Crossing Paths newsletter, Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife)
2/18/04

Wild birds and free-ranging cats are not a good mix. As a Backyard
Wildlife
Sanctuary manager, you most likely keep your cat confined and talk to
cat-owning
neighbors about doing the same.
But what about homeless cats? "Feral" cats, which are usually
strays that are
untamed or wild, are estimated to range from 60 to 100 million
throughout the United
States. They are NOT wildlife. Feral cats are non-native predators that
can, and have,
seriously damaged wild bird and other wildlife populations.

While domestic cats are solitary animals, colonies of feral cats often
form around
food sources like bird feeding stations, garbage dumps, or places where
people
deliberately leave food for them. In fact, many colonies of feral cats
are supported by
well-meaning, but misinformed, advocates of what's become known as
"TNR"
management: Trap, Neuter, Release.

(Ed: I disagree that these are "well meaning" people. They are stupid,
morally and intellectually bankrupt MORONS and ETHICAL SODOMITES.)

This wrong solution to a tragic problem works this way: Feral cats are
trapped and
taken to a clinic or veterinarian for disease testing. Those that are
seriously ill or test
positive for contagious diseases are usually euthanized, otherwise they
are simply spayed
or neutered. Then the feral cats are released back to where they were
trapped and where
they are supplied with food and water daily.
The theory behind TNR programs, which are funded by both private and
public
entities across the country, is eventual reduction of feral cat
colonies. But sadly, such
claims are not substantiated. Cat colonies often serve as dumping
grounds for other
unwanted cats. The food provided usually attracts more cats. Contrary
to TNR proponent
beliefs, colony cats do NOT keep other cats from joining the colony. As
time goes on,
some colony cats become too wary to be caught, so rarely are all spayed
or neutered.
With females capable of producing up to three litters of four to six
kittens each every
year, it doesn't take long to grow a feral cat colony.
Well-fed cats, either feral or domestic, are "super-predators" of
birds and other
wildlife. The need to eat and the instinct to hunt can and do function
separately. Any cat
owner can attest to this fact with stories of "gift birds" laid at
their feet by feline
companions.
There is extensive documentation that free-roaming cats are prolific
and efficient
predators, even if, and especially when, they are regularly fed. Almost
one-fifth of all
injured wildlife brought to Washington's wildlife rehabilitators
across the state was
harmed by cats.
Some TNR advocates believe that feral cat colonies are "wildlife"
themselves.
Some groups have even fought for (and so far lost) accommodations for
feral cats on
wildlife refuges and other public lands.
In addition to their threats to wildlife, feral cat colonies pose human
health risks.
Even TNR-managed colonies can spread disease such as ringworm,
toxoplasmosis, cat
scratch fever, and rabies, since every cat is not captured regularly
for health care. Feeding
stations attract raccoons and skunks, the two most common wildlife
carriers of rabies,
along with the cats, which are the most commonly reported rabid
domestic animal.
Page 2
Free-roaming cats of any kind are their own worst enemy, too. They
usually have
short, miserable lives, due to collisions with motor vehicles, attacks
by other domestic
and wild animals, accidental poisoning or trapping, and parasites and
diseases.
The Humane Society of the United States reports that the expected life
span of an
indoor cat is at least triple that of cats that spend their lives
outdoors.
TNR management of feral cats is clearly not in the best interests of
anyone, and it
often overwhelms the ability of well-meaning people who genuinely want
to help
animals. It also undermines efforts of responsible pet owners who keep
their cats indoors.
The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, American
Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, American Bird Conservancy,
American
Ornithologists' Union, and Cooper Ornithological Society oppose TNR
practices. In
addition, the Humane Society of the United States, People for the
Ethical Treatment of
Animals, and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
have expressed
concerns about this practice.
So what should be done to protect wildlife and treat all animals
humanely? First
and foremost, spay or neuter your own cats and help promote community
wide
spay/neuter information campaigns and low or no-cost spay/neuter
clinics. The fewer
kittens produced and possibly abandoned, the smaller feral cat colonies
will be.
Second, keep your cat indoors. Spread the word to other cat owners that
indoor
cats live longer lives and avoid harassing wildlife. Un-spayed or
non-neutered cats kept
indoors also won't add to the feral cat population explosion.
Help inform and educate others that practicing TNR is not the solution
for feral
cat management. Initiate or support local ordinances that prohibit cat
abandonment and
feral cat feeding. Humanely trap and remove feral cats, especially in
public areas that
provide habitat for wildlife, and take them to an animal shelter for
possible adoption or
humane euthanasia.
For more information contact the American Bird Conservancy's "Cats
Indoors!
The Campaign for Safer Birds and Cats" at 1834 Jefferson Place, NW,
Washington, DC
20036 (www.abcbirds.org).